Opinion about ball python from a first time snake keeper

[6037201]

I don't want to offend anyone but personally I think ball python is not a beginner snake the main reason why its cuz (my opinion) they are the pickiest pet you could possibly get in term of habitat requirements and feeding. They would literally starve them selves to death if they don't get the food they want, I'm not gonna lie its really really frustrating especially for a first time snake keeper to encounter such behavior(me). A lot of people said online that ball python don't smell, well I think a part of it its true they don't but their enclosure does, especially when they pooped and refusing to eat the meal I left there overnight. Because sometimes when you leave the thawed mouse or rat inside the cage overnight the prey item would bleed out and become really sticky to the bedding for me I use paper towels. And this one time I left a weaned rat in the cage but he didn't eat so I went to get the tong to pick it up and half of its body just sliced open all the blood, organs just went out and the smell of it is so bad. Also, they are not like dogs or cats they don't bond with you like how a dog would bond with its owner. I think snake itself its affordable but also depends on morph, mine cost like 80$ or so its a male Mojave. Male is usually lot more picky than female I heard so that could be one of the reasons why. The bedding, hideaway, water bowel, all these only cost me like 8$ so its pretty cheap. The thing that can cost a lot is food (I know a lot of people is gonna disagree with me on this one), heating pat, thermometer and thermostat. Personally, I use zoomed heating pat and also thermometer and whatnot all these cost about close to 50$. And things with food, I think if someone has a really big collection of ball pythons then i think all the money is worth spending because if one doesn't wanna eat then just simply give it to another one so on and so forth. But someone like me we only have one snake, and if he doesn't wanna eat then it just gonna go to waste. If you get it from regular local reptile store one small rat is like 2 bucks after tax, pet smart and Petco has this ridicules price on their rodent its unbelievable. And if someone wanna get it online then there's always shipping, the cheapest shipping i think its 25$. Again, I'm not saying ball python is not a good pet, I'm saying it takes a lot of time, money and patience to really care for one. I would recommend someone to get a corn snake or king snake as their first pet snake because they are not as picky as ball python, some of them still do but its rare. To be honest, I sometimes just wanna give up on him return it whatever, but I love animals deep down that's why i got him in the first place and I will keep trying to make him as happy as possibly. But reality and imagination is different.

[redshepherd]

You're right, they're not a good snake for people who didn't do research on the species. Corns and kings are more tolerant of mistakes, but those kinds of mistakes are all from not doing research before getting an animal.

For that reason, I don't believe in the whole concept of "beginner snakes" (not including venomous, giants, and challenging species to keep alive in captivity), because it usually just means "hardy animals for people who didn't research and are planning on screwing something up". But in that case, I don't think they should have gotten an animal to begin with.

There's a lot more to a ball python not eating than just being picky about their food- most of the time, your setup and temps are off, and that's what's keeping them from eating well.

[JodanOrNoDan]

Some balls are easier than others. It's just luck of the draw if you buy one from a pet store. I have easy ones and I have harder ones. If you want an easy one, it is best to get one from a breeder that knows the animal they are selling. For the most part I believe you are correct. A ball is not the perfect starter snake. I started with corns decades ago and they are much more forgiving in their care. Once a BP is dialed in though, you are on easy street.

[rock]

I have 2 ball pythons, about 6 months old, never had a problem feeding except one time a mouse was dead on arrival and the snake that got him wasn't interested. I feed live at this point, never have to leave a dead rodent overnight and enjoy going to a local pet store each week to talk and chat about reptiles and its on the way home. I don't think I want to blow dry frozen rodents to warm them up but may change my mind as the prey gets larger.

Yes, snakes are not dogs and cats. Most of the time I have to leave the snakes alone to ensure they are happy and stress free. Our dog plays with us everyday. On the other hand, we just went out of town for 5 days and the snakes were fine. The dog I had to bring to my mom's house for the duration.

I like birds and bearded dragons and cats, etc... But I don't want to keep any of them.

Perhaps you can find a way to make your situation easier with your snake. Sounds like you are almost there.

Reality is never the same as imagination. My wife is really hot but takes forever to get ready when we go places. You have to weigh the pros and cons.

[redshepherd]

My wife is really hot but takes forever to get ready when we go places. You have to weigh the pros and cons.

I was reading your post and agreeing and suddenly this comment came like out of nowhere LOL

[rock]

I was reading your post and agreeing and suddenly this comment came like out of nowhere LOL

Yes, lol. It somehow made sense at the moment.

[Bmocken]

I would consider myself a new keeper of a Ball Python even though I had one way back in my teenage years. Back then I had no clue what I was doing and honestly did it all wrong. I am talking 50 gallon aquarium, heat rock, screened in top, and just about every other no no there is. Shocked the snake ate and grew. That's not to say we didn't have issues and eventually I realized I had no clue what I was doing nor wanted to learn. So I sold him back to where I got him from. I've always regretted that choice and this past week picked up my Orange Dream 5 month old. This go round I spent months reading this forum, watching YouTube videos, and learning about how to properly care for a Ball Python. Ball Pythons are great snakes but as with any animal you have to take the time to know what your getting into before you get into it. If you are truly interested in keeping your Ball then make sure his environment is right and then give him time to adjust. If your to the point where you don't want to put the effort into making things right then by all means do right by the animal and return him. You have a lot of resources at your fingertips to figure out how to turn things around if you so choose.

[Craiga 01453]

my wife is really hot but takes forever to get ready when we go places. You have to weigh the pros and cons.

priceless!!!!!!!!

[Craiga 01453]

Well, if you were looking for an animal to bond with, a BP is not the right choice. As far as being "beginner" snakes, they aren't the easiest, but they are definitely not the trickiest.
Putting in the time to research the animal before bringing it home would have made that pretty clear. Nobody in the hobby is trying to hide the fact that BPs aren't affectionate animals, nor is anybody trying to hide the fact that they can be picky eaters.
That being said, BPs can be frustrating at first, but once they are setup properly and cared for properly, they're pretty simple. Sure, they can go off food for a while, it's frustrating, but it's right there on BP 101 page one for anybody to see prior to deciding to purchase an animal. If the enclosure smells bad, it's because it's not properly maintained. None of my enclosures smell. Yup, they can drop some stinky poops, but proper spot cleaning takes care of that pretty quickly.

[bcr229]

The only reason BP's are suggested for new keepers is because they are docile - though there are some outliers. Otherwise they're not a great snake for a new keeper. If their husbandry isn't perfect they go off food, they spend most of their time hiding, most really don't care to be held or interact with people, etc. The only thing they really have going for them is the "paint jobs".

Personally I steer newbies to corn or king snakes, and then to the smaller locality boas if they later want a small to moderate-size constrictor.